Portable water-tower.



- MTIYESSES G. W. PINK.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1912.

1,090,783. Patented Mar.17,1914

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. W. PINK.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 1a, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1,090,783, Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Ewe/W G. W. PINK.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1B, 1912.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHBBT 3.

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PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18 1912.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

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CLYDE W. FINK, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

PORTABLE WATER-TOWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Application filed April 18, 1912. Serial No. 691,722.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE W. FINK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Water- Towers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable water towers for use in extinguishing fires and my object is to produce a simple, compact and efficient machine of this character.

lVith this general object in view the in vention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood referonce is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a side View of a portable water tower embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3, is a vertical section on the line 111 111 of Fig. 1. Fig. 41, is an enlarged horizontal section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a similar section on the dotted line VV of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale than v Fig. 4. Fig. 6, is an enlarged vertical section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 1. Fig. 7, is an enlarged horizontal section on the dotted line VIIVII of Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7. Fig. 9, is a section on the line IX-lX-of Fig. 4:. Fig. 10, is a detail longitudinal sec tion of one of the legs or braces ofthe tower.

In the said drawings, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all the figures, 1 is a wheeled vehicle, preferably a motor vehicle as shown, and said vehicle is provided with a pair of arched longitudinal bars 2, which in practice may be the side bars of the chassis. At opposite sides and equal distances from the longitudinal center of the car and over the space between the arched bars 2, is a pair of frames 3, provided with vertical bifurcations 4 and with legs 5 of arch form, the said legs being secured in any suitable manner, to the arched bars 2. 6 is a cap closing the upper end of the bifurcation of each of said frames and T are adjusting screws extending up through said frames into slots 4., for the purpose of independently reasing or lowering bearing boxes 8, arranged in said bifurcations and provided in their opposite sides with recesses 9 (Fig. 4.), the boxes fitting snugly between a pair of grooved gibs 10, slidingly secured in the bifurcations and provided with inwardly-projecting trunnions 11 engaging recesses 9, to permit of pivotal movement of the boxes, for a purpose which hereinafter appears.

12 is a T-shaped brace secured to and depending from the rearmost legs 5 of the frames 3, the stem of the brace having a rearwardlyprojecting horizontal loop 13, and a clove-tail groove 14, and journaled in said loop is a screw 15, threaded into a bar 16 fitting slidingly in the dovetail groove 14. At its front end said bar is provided with a semicircular head or yoke 17, lined with a suitable cushio-n18, and pivoted to 0p posite sides of the semicircular head is a pair of gravity or equivalent catches 19. To guard against unrestrained downward movement of the catches and to hold them normally in operative position as shown in Fig.

1, pins 20 are employed, these pins being shown as fastened to the catches and overlying the head 17.

Pivoted at 21 to the back of the seat of the vehicle, is a shelf or support 22, and rising from the rear portion of the vehicle is a standard 23 terminating at its upper end in a fork 2e, and mounted on the vehicle rearward of standard 23, are standards 25, forming journals for a reel 26, upon which is wound a cable 27.

The tower proper, in this machine, is in most respects a duplication of that upon which I secured Patent No. 1009293, November 21, 1911. Referring to the tower, 28 is a hollow base or socket provided centrally of its lower end with a threaded stem 29 on which is screwed an externally-flanged collar 30, and secured on said collar to screw the same up or down on said stem, is a hand wheel 31.

32 is an anchor block loosely swiveled on the flanged end of sleeve 30, so as to be raised and lowered through the adjustment of the hand-wheel to accommodate any inclination of the street surface, and to guard against slippage, the anchor block is provided with a plurality of depending prongs 33. It will be understood that the terms upper and lower and top and bottom are used with reference to the tower when in upright or operative position, as hereinafter more particularly referred to.

The hollow base is provided near its lower extremity with a drain cock 34.- and at a When the tower is in its substantially upright position, hand wheel 31 is manipulated to lower anchor block 32 to effect engagement between the same and the ground, so that the major portion of the weightof the tower shall rest upon the ground. In the event the machine is standing on a street which has more or less pitch or inclination toward the curb line, the tower under ordi nary circumstances, will lean toward the nearest curb and to rectify this, the set screw 7 at the side toward which the tower leans, is raised, or the other set screw is lowered so as to bring the tower to a vertical posit-ion as regards lateral tilt-ing.

To tilt the tower more or less longitudi nally of the machine, the screw 15 is turned to impart longitudinal movement in the desired direct-ion to the head or carrying bar 16. After the tower, in its retracted condition is secured in an upright posit-ion, it is adapted to be braced by means of a plurality of telescopic legs consisting of tubes 89 and bars 90 (Fig. 10), the former having tapered heads 91 for, a purpose which hereinafter appears. The bars 90 are normally held withdrawn within the tubes 89 by means of set screws 92. As said legs are adapted to stand at different angles more or less sharp with respect to the street surface, they are provided at their lower end with threaded stems 93 upon which are screwed sleeves 94 provided with ball heads 95, and socketed upon said heads so as to be capable of angular adjustment, are anchor plates 96, provided with prongs 97 for embedment in the ground, and to adjust said anchor plates longitudinally of the legs, hand wheels 98 are secured rigidly on the sleeve 94.

To utilize the legs, a collar 99 (Fig. 5) is secured on the upper end of casin 52, and is provided with upwardly-converging, upwardly-tapering sockets 100 to receive the tapered heads 91 of the legs. By the loosening of set screws 92, the legs automatically extend until the anchor plates engage the ground and turn to accommodate the pitch thereof with respect to the inclination of the legs. The set screws are then turned to clamp the bars 90 rigidly in position and then wheel 98 is turned to clamp the anchor plate on or in the ground to guard against slippage.

The upper extremity of the tube 60 is provided with one or more discharge openings 101, and fitting in said tube below said opening is a plunger valve 102, provided with an upwardly projecting stem 103, having a cap 104, overlying the upper end of said tube to limit downward movement of the valve 102. Depending from the valve is a rod 105 connected by a retractile spring 106 to a rod 107, extending through a lug 108 within and near the lower end of the tube, and engaging said rod and bearing against the underside of said lug is a nut 109 (Fig. 4). 110 is a link depending from the lower end of the tube 60 and connected to the free end of cable 41.

After the tower is arranged in upright position, and braced as explained, a hose, not shown, is secured to the valve coupling 36 to co-nduiet water under pressure into the hollow base, which water through the extension 37 is caused to shoot upwardly through the innermost tube 60 and exert suflicient upward pressure on the valve 102 to slide the said tube 60 upward until the upper one of its collars 49 engages ring 67 of tube 59. Said tube 59 is then raised in a similar manner by the pressure of the water on valve 102, until arrested by contact of the upper one of its collars 49 wit-h the ring 67 of tube 58. Tube 58 is likewise raised from the same cause, these actions continuing until the upward movement of tube 55 is arrested, when the tower is completely extended, and as it is completely extended, the pressure of the water overcomes the resistance of retractile spring 106 and raises the valve 102, until it uncovers opening 101, it being noted that the valve cannot be forced entirely out of the tube 60 because head 104 comes in contact with the top of head as the valve attains the upper ends of opening 101, and as the valve is thus unseated, the water passes into the head 70 and thence through arm 71, tube 72 and the nozzle 7 5.

If it is desired to vary the vertical inclination of the nozzle it is accomplished by the manipulation of reel 83. If it is desired to vary its position horizontally or longitudinally, so as to discharge water in a particular direction, the hand wheel 51 is manipulated to rotate the outermost tube 48 in the hollow base, there being sufficient friction between the various tubes to insure the rotation of all of them when the tube 48 is turned.

When the use of the tower is discontinued, the water is turned off and valve 102 closes automatically under the retraction of the spring 106. The hose is then uncoupled from the tower and the cock 34 is opened to drain the water from the latter, and permit the tubes, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, and 55 to gravitate downward and assume their original relation within the tube 48 and casing 52, it being understood that the cable 41 is rewo-und upon drum 42 as the tubes descend.

It will be noted that when the casing and tower are upright, the catches 19 are interlocked with the lugs 88 at the lower end of the casing and there is no possibility of the tower falling to a horizontal position when fully or partly extended.

Under ordinary conditions the nozzle will be pointed in a rearward direction generally with respect to the truck and as the tendency of the upper end of the tower is to kickback r as water under pressure is discharged from the nozzle, I provide the cable 27 which acts as a seat or brace against this kick-back action and thus relieves the upper portion of the tower of considerable strain which would otherwise be imposed upon itand particularly when the discharge of the water from no z e ins After the tower has been retracted as hereinbefore explained, the cable 27 will be used to pull the casing and tower to their normal or horizontal positions, as gravity tends to maintain them in an upright position, because when the tower is retracted, its lower end ovei-balances the u per end and hence tends to maintain the casing and tower in an upright position. The legs when not in use will be carried upon the truck.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a water tower embodying the features of construction enumerated as desirable and I wish it to be understood that while I have illustrated and scribed the preferred embodiment of the invention, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction shown and described as obvious modificationswill suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1 The combination of a wheeled truck, a water tower pivoted on said truck, and means supporting said tower in a horizontal position including a support movable out of the path of one of the arms of the tower as the latter swings to vertical position.

2, The combination of a wheeled truck, a water tower pivoted on said truck, and supports carried on the truck for holding the tower in horizontal position, one of said supports being movable into and out of the path of the downward moving arm of the tower as the tower swings into vertical position. v

3, The combination with a wheeled truck and afraine carried thereby, of a casing pivotally carried by said frame, a water tower extending through the casing, andsupports carried by the truck for holding the casing and tower in a substantially horizontal position; one of said supports being capable of swinging out of the path of pivotal movement ofthe tower.

4E. The combination of a wheeled truck, a water tower pivoted on said truck, an adjustable device for limiting the pivotal movement of the tower in one direction, and means acting automatically to secure the tower at thelimit of said pivotal movement.

5. The combination of a wheeled truck, a water tower pivoted on said truck, an adjustable stop for limitingthe movementof the tower as it swings into vertical position, and means acting automatically to lock the tower said position. i I. w I

6. The combinationwith a wheeled truck and ,a frame carried thereby, of a casing pivotally carried by said frame, a water tower extending through the casing, an adjustable device to limit the pivotal move ment of the tower in onedirection, and auto:

matic means for securing the tower in a substantially upright position. 1 I

7; The combination with a wheeled truck and a frame carried thereby, of a casing pivotallycarried by said frame, a watertower extending through the casing, lugs projecting from the casing, a longitudinally ad justable yoke supported from the truck and below the pivotal point of the casing, to receive the lower end of the same when swung to a substantially upright position, and catches for interlocking with the lugs of the casing. V

8. The combination with a wheeled truck, frames carried by and at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the truck, a support rigid with and depending from said truck below the plane of said frames, a forwardly extending yoke carried by said support, a casing between and pivoted to said frames and adapted whenswung to a substantially upright position to enter said yoke,

and means for automatically locking the casing to the yoke.

9. The combination with a wheeled truck, frames mounted thereon at opposite sides of its longitudinal center, bearing boxes vertically adjustable in and bearing a pivotal relation to said frames, a casing arranged between and pivoted to said bearing boxes and adapted to swing from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position, and means for automatically locking the casing in a substantially upright posi tion.

10. The combination with a wheeled truck, frames mounted thereon at opposite sides of its longitudinal center, bearing boxes vertically adjustable in and bearing a pivotal relation to said frames, a casing arranged between and pivoted to said bearing boxes and adapted to swing from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position, means for automatically lock- V the casing in a substantially upright po sitioii, a water tower fitting in and extend ing beyond the ends of the casing, and means forward of the casing for engagement with the tower toprevent the same and the, casing from swinging from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position. 7 v I i v 11. The combination 'with a wheeled truck, frames mounted thereon at opposite sides of its longitudinal center, bearing boxes vertically adjustable in and bearing a pivotal relation to said frames, a casing arranged between and pivotedto, said bearing boxes and adapted to swing-from asub stantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position, means for automatically locking the casing in a substantially upright position, a water tower fitting in and extending beyond the ends of the casing, means forward of the casingfor engagement with the tower to prevent the same and the casing from swinging from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position, and means carried by the truck rearward of the casing to engage the tower and cooperate with the said means engaging the tower forward of the casing in holding the latter and the tower in a substantially horizontal position.

12. The combination with a wheeled truck and a frame carried thereby, of a casing pivotally carried by said frame, a water tower extending through the casing, supports carried by the truck for holding the casing and tower in a substantially horizontal position; one of said supports being movable into and out of the path of pivotal movement of said tower to permit the tower to swing to an upright position, and an anchor device carried by and adjustable longitudinally of thetower and adapted for engagement with the ground when the tower and casing occupy a substantially vertical position.

13. The combination with a wheeled truck and a frame carried thereby, of 'a casing pivotally carried by said frame, a water tower extending through the casing, supports carried by the truck for holding the casing and tower in a substantially horizontal position; one of said supports being movable into and out of the path of pivotal movement of said tower to permit the tower to swing to a horizontal position, and an anchor device carried by and adjustable longitudinally of the tower and adapted for engagement with the ground when the tower and casing occupy a substantially vertical position; said anchor device being also adjustable angularly to squarely engage the ground irrespective of whether the tower is vertical or inclined.

14. The combination with a wheeled truck and a frame carried thereby, of a casing pivotally carried by said frame, a water tower extending through the casing, supports carried by the truck for holding the casing and tower in a substantially horizontal position, one of said supports being movable into and out of thepath of pivotal movement of said tower to permit the tower to swing to a horizontal position, an anchor device carried by and adjustable longitudinally of the tower and'adapted for engagement with the ground when the tower and casing occupy a substantially vertical position, and a plurality of upwardly converging legs to brace the tower firmly from the ground in an upright position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

CLYDE W. FINK. Witnesses:

HELEN C. Ronenns, G. Y. THORPE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

